Autumn at Ashburton

Time to start transitioning from summer to the start of Autumn!  The Ashburton community had a great cozy night watching Sheep Detectives on September 25th.  The fun continues as Fall Festival Tickets are now on SALE!   

Tickets are for admission of school-aged (K-12) children only. Adults and children 4 and under are free. Purchase here in Givebacks

 Standard pricing 

• PTA member child: $17

• Non-PTA member child: $20

Pre-sale ends October 19, 2026! Buy ahead and skip the ticket line! Wristbands will be delivered to student on Thursday, October 22nd and Friday, October 23rd.

New this year: Based on your feedback, we're offering a family price of $50.

Adult Volunteers are still needed:  DAY BEFORE (October 23) and DAY OF (October 24):

Thank you to everyone who has already signed up to help with Fall Festival preparation and operations. We still need more volunteers. The Fall Festival Committee has organized, cleaned, and cataloged the past investments the PTA have made in the Haunted Hallway. If there are not enough volunteers for set up, the Haunted Hallway CANNOT and WILL NOT move forward. Please consider donating an hour or two of your time to make the Fall Festival a success!

Our biggest needs are:

• Haunted Hallway setup (Friday and Saturday)

• Same-day clean-up crew

• On-site SSL Coordinators

Other volunteer activities are available too, and SSL hours are available for student volunteers. Please help us make this year's Fall Festival unforgettable. Sign up to volunteer

Other Upcoming Events 

Dine-Out at Sarah's Handmade Ice Cream - Wildwood, October 22, 2026

 As the weather gets cooler, doesn't mean we need to forget about the summer!  Please join us for a Dine-Out at Sarah's Handmade Ice Cream located in the Wildwood Shopping Plaza.  

Literati Book Fair, November 9-13th

Believe it or not, it’s time again for the Literati Book Fair!! The Book Fair will run from Nov 9-13, with Family Shopping Day on Wednesday, Nov. 11, from 3-6 p.m.

Here’s what you can do NOW to get ready: 

1. Be the first to sign up to volunteer. The classroom visit schedule will be posted when it is ready. In the meantime, consider signing up for a Thursday or Friday slot, when students can shop the bookstore on their own.

2. Set up, or add funds to, your child’s Literati Gift Card. Literati Gift Cards can be used in person or online to shop the book fair:

- Set up a Literati gift card for your child here.

- Select “For a student to use at the fair”

- Enter “Ashburton Elementary” in the school search field. Note! There are two Ashburton Elementary Schools in the database. Make sure you select Ashburton Elementary in Bethesda. 

- Include your child’s teacher’s name in the “who is their educator” field so we can find their name in their classroom list.

- If you set up a Literati Gift Card for the last fair, you can log into your Literati Store account to check your remaining balance and add funds.

3. Shop the online book fair now! You can visit Ashburton’s online book fair for books and games, and from now until Nov 13, Ashburton will earn rewards at the same level as at the in-person book fair. 

Questions? Please contact Rebecca Mellema at rebecca.mellema@gmail.com

Food for Fuel! Support Snacks for All Students!

Nearly a quarter of Ashburton's star students may not have access to a snack from home. The PTA is dedicated to filling this gap and supply the needed snacks - about 175 per school day - to ensure that no child goes without. But we need your help to make this possible!  Please consider donating snacks by using this Sign-Up or donating to the Food for Fuel fund! 

Shop Minted & Support Ashburton!

Shop Minted and support Ashburton at the same time! When you purchase holiday cards, stationery, address labels, or gifts through Minted, you’ll receive 20% off, and 10% of every purchase will be donated back to Ashburton!

How to participate:

1. Shop at Minted.com
2. Create your holiday cards, gifts, stationery, or address labels.
3. Enter code FUNDRAISEAESPTC at checkout.
4. Save 20% while giving 10% back to Ashburton!

Spirit wear Sale! 

It's getting a bit colder now and what better way to bundle up but with Ashburton Spirit Wear!  1stplace Spirit Wear is promoting a sale of $10 off hooded Tees & Crewnecks. Please click here to visit the site.

Reach out with Questions!

If you have any questions about PTA membership, upcoming events, volunteering, or anything else, please reach out to info@ashburtonpta.org.